The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has started exhuming the bodies of 114 unidentified martyrs of the July uprising at the cemetery beside Rayer Bazar Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Dhaka to confirm their identities.
CID Chief Additional IGP Md Shibgat Ullah inaugurated the operation, emphasising that identifying the martyrs is a national responsibility.
The process, led by international forensic expert Luis Fondebrider through the UN, will follow international standards including exhumation, post-mortem, and DNA profiling.
The graves were identified based on applications, and once identities are confirmed, the bodies will be reburied with full religious respect. Families may claim the bodies after identification, and CID is collecting DNA samples from relatives through a hotline.
Shibgat Ullah requested media cooperation, noting that no photos or sensitive information may be published.
He expressed sympathy for the families who have long sought answers and thanked all agencies and experts involved in the operation.
KR/MHK